Beans and lentils?

[Farrar]

What are your favorite bean and lentil recipes? I want to be cooking more of them, but they’re not in my general repertoire for main dishes. 

Recipes can have meat or be vegetarian. Honestly, beany based recipes with just a bit of meat or using chicken broth or the like are probably right on point to please my kids. No food allergies here.

Thanks!

[Scarlett]

I got this recipe from the board years ago and I love it.  

1 cup of lemtils

1 cup of brown rice

1-2 packages of taco seasoning. .

4-5 cups of water. 

Cook in slow cooker on low for 6 hours

use as taco ‘meat’

serve with lettuce, green onions, cheese and tomato on corn or flour tortilla 

 

 

 

[PinkTulip]

My family loves these beans. I make a big pot every few weeks and my boys eat bowls of them with rice I keep on hand, too. 

https://ourbestbites.com/brazilian-style-black-beans-rice//

[Ailaena]

 Curried lentils or daal.   Just any recipe you like, but add some beans!

https://www.budgetbytes.com/slow-cooker-coconut-curry-lentils/ Ive added kidney beans to this and it works great.

[Frances]

I make a baked rice with brown basmati, chicken broth, chopped tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, and cumin as a base. Then everyone can add whatever they like including black beans, cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, shredded or diced chicken, lime, etc. The bean recipe Pink Tulip linked would be great for this. I’m going to try it soon.

I make lentil stew with lentils, chicken broth, carrots, onions, garlic, fresh spinach, and a small amount of brown basmati rice. My husband prefers it when I also add some crumbled chicken sausage or other meat.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Frances

[mathnerd]

Any indian Dal recipe would work for you. There are numerous varieties of dal (lentil) in Indian cuisine with or without vegetables added: Channa masala (garbanzo), yellow dal (different kinds of yellow lentils like moong, split peas etc), Rajma (kidney beans), black eyed peas curries. They have many flavorings using spices, turmeric, tamarind, coconut etc. Any standard indian vegetarian cookbook or website should have tons of these recipes.

[Farrar]

So... I don’t mind a bit of spice, but I’m not big on curry flavors. The kids and dh like them though... I guess I should think about that.

[Laura Corin]

I like the recipes from this guyhttps://thedoctorskitchen.com/recipes?_sft_meal-category=dinner&_sft_recipe-diets=vegetarian

[Kiara.I]

I invented this recipe in university, and it's non-curry.

Lentil soup:

Throw dry red lentils in water, start to heat. Add carrot, onion and butternut squash in 1 inch chunks. Add squashed/chopped garlic. Season with leftover packets from beef or mushroom ramen (like I said, university... Some kind of bouillon would work.)

[Laura Corin]

Lentil risotto is great. You could do it without an IP.

https://www.hippressurecooking.com/lentil-risotto-peasant-cooking-under-pressure/

[medawyn]

This is a very unattractive dish, but yummy: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/lentil-stew-sausage-potatoes

[Farrar]

2 minutes ago, medawyn said:

This is a very unattractive dish, but yummy: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/lentil-stew-sausage-potatoes

There’s absolutely nothing you can make with lentils that’s remotely attractive. That does look yummy though.

[Familia]

I thought about posting this one the Quick Dinners thread...

We make black bean bowls for dinner in a pinch:

A few cans black beans (El Ebro brand is best and doesn’t need draining, other brands - drain), quinoa, minute rice, or couscous, salsa, cheese, sour cream.

 

[Faith-manor]

I love lentil soup. Fell in love with it when we were in Egypt. I use red or orange lentils, and slow cook in my crockpot with chicken stock and finely diced carrots. I add garlic, tumeric, and cumin. Shredded chicken is a nice addition if you want meat. Dh and I like to have a big pot of vegetarian style and just eat on it all week. Dh is known to make himself a grilled cheese to dip in it.

I also make a meatless chili. Canned tomatoes run through the blender to puree. Garlic, tons of cumin, only a mild amount of chili pepper, little bit of salt. I add one can of red kidney beans or if I've recently soaked and cooked kidneys, then some of those, plus two cans of pinto beans. I cook it on low for a couple of hours until it is nice and savory. My family likes to add a dollop of sour cream.

I soak dry pintos with a little salt and lemon juice for 24 hours, covered. Then thoroughly rinse. I add more water, and cook until done, then drain, and add taco or enchilada sauce. I serve them over rice, and sometimes we add some ground beef to them when we add the sauce, sometimes without meat.

[ScoutTN]

My kids love whie bean enchiladas. I mix a couple cans of navy beans with green chiles and some sour cream. Season as you like, I use cumin and coriander. Wrap in heated corn tortillas and put in a casserole. I make a white cheese sauce ( butter, flour, milk, cheese, salt) to go over everything.

Sometimes I use jarred red or green enchilada sauce.

[73349]

French lentils with mushrooms and kale  https://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/15525238

Smoked apple veggie burger  https://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/15526175

Pineapple black bean bowls  https://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/20605544

Smoky black bean soup  https://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/19216389

 

 

[J-rap]

My favorites are lentils and black beans.  I like lentils because they taste good with almost anything, so are a good way to use up leftovers.  I like thick soups, more like a stew.  So, to a bag of lentils I'll add water (plenty to cover -- but you can add more as it cooks).  I'll throw in veggies like chopped carrots and potatoes and onions.  If you have leftover other veggies to use up, you can really throw in almost any of them, but potatoes and carrots and onions are always my favorites.   Sometimes, I'll throw in some chicken broth in place of maybe half the water, but often I just use water.  I like lentil soup best with lots of tomatoes, so I'll usually add a large can of whole tomatoes.  (Chop them as they cook.)  If it's not tomatoey enough, I might add some tomato paste too.  Spices I generally use are garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.  Sometimes I'll add frozen peas as its cooking, and often I'll throw in some spinach near the end.  My secret ingredient in lentil soup is red wine --add to taste.  At least 1/4 cup.  I think it makes it taste so good!

If I'm in a meat mood, then sausage/kielbasa is great in it.  I use the kind that's already cooked, and chop it into slices.  It's mixed with the lentils right from the beginning so it gives the soup a great flavor.  If you start out with it, you don't even need to add all the spices, although I'll always still add garlic and a little salt and lots of pepper.

When I serve the veggie variety, I usually throw slices of sharp cheddar cheese on top when I serve it.  

Leftover lentil soup is so good too.  Or you can drain out the liquid and form them into patties.  Fry them in a little olive oil until they're crisp, and serve them with sliced sharp cheddar cheese on buns.  

 

[Innisfree]

Lentil and tomato pie, from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course.

Even my kid who likes neither lentils nor tomatoes likes this. I'm not at home now, so my recipe is out of reach, but basically it's red lentils (green work too, but take longer to cook), a chopped onion, a can of tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and pepper, simmered together until lentils are soft, mixed with an egg and grated cheddar cheese, and baked in a pie crust. The recipe calls for top and bottom crust, but we usually skip the top crust. It's yummy. I've probably left out something, so I'll check the recipe once I get home.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Innisfree

[mmasc]

I got this recipe from the board here ages ago. I double the Italian seasoning. 

https://www.food.com/recipe/brown-rice-and-lentil-casserole-74629?ref=amp

[ScoutTN]

Lentil soup with BACON, cream and sherry! My kids gobble this up! Originally from Southern Living, with some tweaks over the years.

Cook 6-8 slices of bacon til crisp. In large pot, saute several cups of chopped leeks and onionsin bacon drippings, add diced carrots and potatoes, 2 C lentils, 4C stock or broth and 1t. salt. Simmer 40 m or til veggies are tender. Puree to desired texture with an immersion blender. (We like some chunks.) Stir in 1/2 C heavy cream and 2T. Dry Sherry. Cook til hot through and add salt to taste.

Serve with bacon crumbles on top, green salad and crusty bread. 

[Farrar]

Some of these sound amazing!

[Selkie]

Here are a few of our favorites. We eat beans and/or lentils at almost every meal. These recipes are all whole food plant based, but could easily be modified to fit your style of eating.

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/veggie-skillet-lasagna/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/lentil-tortilla-stew/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-sausage-ragu/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-kung-pao-noodles/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-buffalo-bean-wrap/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/five-bean-chili/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-bbq-lentil-sloppy-joes/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/creamy-southwestern-soup/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/italian-pasta-and-peas/

 

[BarbecueMom]

It's not the prettiest dish when plated, but Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie is one of my all-time favorite meals (adjusting the "sauce" to make it reflux-friendly).  It's straight up comfort food and easy to adapt based on whatever veggies you have on hand.  I actually need to acquire a deeper dish so I can make a bigger layer of mashed potatoes on top.  I'd like to try it with sweet potatoes sometime, too.

Not vegetarian, but last night I made a version of BBQ Beef and Beans.  You could sub lentils for the beef or just use less beef and more beans.  I used my own homemade BBQ sauce instead of the recipe's, added veggies to the dish (peppers and onions and roasted broccoli piled on top), and served it over rice.  I think it'd be good over a bed of cheesy grits or polenta too.

Edited August 9, 2019 by BarbecueMom

[mathnerd]

11 hours ago, Farrar said:

So... I don’t mind a bit of spice, but I’m not big on curry flavors. The kids and dh like them though... I guess I should think about that.

Then, definitely try recipes for "plain dal" - various dal with or without vegetables: the beauty of these recipes is that you can drop out the curry part and then just use salt and pepper for seasoning (or even drop the pepper!) or if you like more flavor, add in ginger, garlic etc

For example: this dal recipe can be made with any yellow lentils, but, you can drop out the chillies entirely and still have a tasty dal.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/everyday-yellow-dal

Usually, all the curry ingredients (and the ginger, garlic) are for aiding in digestion of the lentils and also to cut out on the gas formed by eating large portions of fiber rich lentils.

[Zoo Keeper]

My family loves Sweet and Sour beans-- the baked beans in the recipe are a must, but you can tweak ratios and types of other beans and all will be well.   Sometimes I use bacon,  but mostly not.  I double the sauce, and serve over rice.

[Farrar]

12 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

Then, definitely try recipes for "plain dal" - various dal with or without vegetables: the beauty of these recipes is that you can drop out the curry part and then just use salt and pepper for seasoning (or even drop the pepper!) or if you like more flavor, add in ginger, garlic etc

For example: this dal recipe can be made with any yellow lentils, but, you can drop out the chillies entirely and still have a tasty dal.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/everyday-yellow-dal

Usually, all the curry ingredients (and the ginger, garlic) are for aiding in digestion of the lentils and also to cut out on the gas formed by eating large portions of fiber rich lentils.

I definitely like ginger, garlic, cumin... it’s really the tumeric, chili, coriander trio in curry powder that’s a no. But it does make me often tune out South Asian cooking...

[Tanaqui]

Lots of curries don't have tumeric OR coriander. They usually do have chilies, but often you can omit them. Do you like coriander and chilies separately?

 

 

[Farrar]

1 hour ago, Tanaqui said:

Lots of curries don't have tumeric OR coriander. They usually do have chilies, but often you can omit them. Do you like coriander and chilies separately?

 

 

I don't hate any of these things... and oddly, I like cilantro a lot. But any time it's the sort of basic sauces on Indian foods in restaurants or what's made at home that calls for "curry powder" then the flavor profile is definitely not my thing. I mean, if served it at someone's home, I'd eat it, which I can't say of a few things, like pickles or anything pickled.

I waffle about cooking. Sometimes I make tikka masala for the kids with jarred sauce - I mean, that's easy. And they adore Indian food, as does dh. And sometimes I do roasted broccoli, which is a veg I dislike. But mostly I make the foods and veggies I like... peppers, asparagus, green beans in all their permutations, peas, carrots, etc. And herby flavors, Mexican flavors, East Asian flavors, cinnamony type flavors... but not super spicy Mexican, Thai, or South Asian type flavors. And definitely not Middle Eastern flavors. I'll eat Malaysian or Thai or Indian... I rarely enjoy anything Middle Eastern. Well, Iranian food is yummy... but I don't know how to cook it, so that's separate. But how much is cooking for me? On the one hand, I'm the cook, if I cook, I want to like what I made. On the other hand, it's a gift to the family - one of the acts of service that I do, on par with how dh does the laundry. In that sense, I should maybe give them things they'd enjoy a bit more.

[Miss Tick]

I thought of your thread last night when my people got excited to see Pepper Bean Salad on the dinner table.

[mathnerd]

2 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I don't hate any of these things... and oddly, I like cilantro a lot. But any time it's the sort of basic sauces on Indian foods in restaurants or what's made at home that calls for "curry powder" then the flavor profile is definitely not my thing. I mean, if served it at someone's home, I'd eat it, which I can't say of a few things, like pickles or anything pickled.

I waffle about cooking. Sometimes I make tikka masala for the kids with jarred sauce - I mean, that's easy. And they adore Indian food, as does dh. And sometimes I do roasted broccoli, which is a veg I dislike. But mostly I make the foods and veggies I like... peppers, asparagus, green beans in all their permutations, peas, carrots, etc. And herby flavors, Mexican flavors, East Asian flavors, cinnamony type flavors... but not super spicy Mexican, Thai, or South Asian type flavors. And definitely not Middle Eastern flavors. I'll eat Malaysian or Thai or Indian... I rarely enjoy anything Middle Eastern. Well, Iranian food is yummy... but I don't know how to cook it, so that's separate. But how much is cooking for me? On the one hand, I'm the cook, if I cook, I want to like what I made. On the other hand, it's a gift to the family - one of the acts of service that I do, on par with how dh does the laundry. In that sense, I should maybe give them things they'd enjoy a bit more.

You don't have to use "curry powder" if you don't like the combo of turmeric, chillies and coriander. Make your own blend - a simple method is to add the dry powders of the ingredients that you like into a jar and shaking it to mix well - e.g. make your own blend of cumin, black pepper, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, fennel seed powder etc - play around with the ratios and see what you like. If you made small batches, then, it is easy to figure out what you like. My son cannot eat spicy food - so, I blend my own combination of curry spices (I mostly wing it). 

Middle eastern food that is easy to make with lentils:

Lebanese Mujadhara: lentils with rice: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/lebanese-lentils-rice-and-caramelized-onions-mujadara-recipe-1925439

Israeli Falafels with garbanzo beans: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/my-favorite-falafel-231755 (I use this recipe to make "Falafel burgers")

Persian lentil stew: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/257501/persian-lentil-stew/

Indian Rice+lentil dishes:

South Indian Ven Pongal with moong dal: https://herbivorecucina.blogspot.com/2018/10/instant-pot-ven-pongal.html

North Indian Vegetable Kichdi: https://www.tarladalal.com/Dal-Khichdi-39570r (I add frozen veggies to this recipe)

[J-rap]

9 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

Lentil soup with BACON, cream and sherry! My kids gobble this up! Originally from Southern Living, with some tweaks over the years.

Cook 6-8 slices of bacon til crisp. In large pot, saute several cups of chopped leeks and onionsin bacon drippings, add diced carrots and potatoes, 2 C lentils, 4C stock or broth and 1t. salt. Simmer 40 m or til veggies are tender. Puree to desired texture with an immersion blender. (We like some chunks.) Stir in 1/2 C heavy cream and 2T. Dry Sherry. Cook til hot through and add salt to taste.

Serve with bacon crumbles on top, green salad and crusty bread. 

Interesting!  I'll have to try that.

[Ottakee]

I don't really have a recipe but I add 1/3 cup of lentils and 1/3 cup of barley to my vegetable beef soup.  It is usually left over cut up roast beef in any cooking juices, left over gravy (if any), a bag of frozen mixed veggies, a can of diced tomatoes, onion, and enough beef broth to make it soup.

[hippiemamato3]

On 8/8/2019 at 11:32 PM, Scarlett said:

I got this recipe from the board years ago and I love it.  

1 cup of lemtils

1 cup of brown rice

1-2 packages of taco seasoning. .

4-5 cups of water. 

Cook in slow cooker on low for 6 hours

use as taco ‘meat’

serve with lettuce, green onions, cheese and tomato on corn or flour tortilla 

 

 

 

We're trying this today! Thanks for the recipe!

[Laura Corin]

I made black bean risotto last night.  Next time I'd increase the spice.  It was good though.  I didn't make the pumpkin sauce.  I sauted the onions and added in the rice with liquid to my instant pot.  While the rice was cooking, I sauted the rest of the veg, then stirred them together at the end.

https://www.meatlessmonday.com/recipes/black-bean-corn-and-pumpkin-risotto/

Edited August 11, 2019 by Laura Corin

[Farrar]

3 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

We're trying this today! Thanks for the recipe!

It's on my to make next week too.

[Stacia]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:29 AM, Selkie said:

Here are a few of our favorites. We eat beans and/or lentils at almost every meal. These recipes are all whole food plant based, but could easily be modified to fit your style of eating.

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/veggie-skillet-lasagna/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/lentil-tortilla-stew/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-sausage-ragu/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-kung-pao-noodles/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-buffalo-bean-wrap/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/five-bean-chili/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/vegan-bbq-lentil-sloppy-joes/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/creamy-southwestern-soup/

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/italian-pasta-and-peas/

 

I was just getting to recommend some of the recipes from the same site. 😀 I love the Curried Red Lentil Stew & I'm getting ready to make the Spiced Kale Potato Soup.

Also love the Best Soup Ever from Zen Habits. I usually omit the pasta (gets too squishy, imo) & instead add more beans or lentils.

If you love lemons, this Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup is amazing. It's addictive, imo. Some comments say it is good w/ chicken added too. (I don't eat meat so I don't know. But I imagine it would work well.)

Simple but always tasty: Lisa's Lovely Lentil Soup. My ds loves this one. If I have cauliflower or carrots on hand, I will usually add some.

 

[Farrar]

On 8/11/2019 at 3:46 PM, Laura Corin said:

I made black bean risotto last night.  Next time I'd increase the spice.  It was good though.  I didn't make the pumpkin sauce.  I sauted the onions and added in the rice with liquid to my instant pot.  While the rice was cooking, I sauted the rest of the veg, then stirred them together at the end.

https://www.meatlessmonday.com/recipes/black-bean-corn-and-pumpkin-risotto/

We made this and it was a hit tonight. We did do the pumpkin. It added some sweetness, I think. Thanks!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

This Lentil Stew recipe looks, smells, and tastes delicious.
This version is meant to be a quick, hearty meal for a crowd, so it uses several precooked ingredients.  You could easily substitute fresh if desired.

Lentil Stew

2 C dry Lentils
5 C Water
1 large Onion, chopped
1 quart canned pureed Tomatoes with juice (or diced Tomatoes with juice)
1 large can Mushrooms
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
1-2 tsp Garlic, chopped
Salt to taste

Simmer together 45-60 minutes, then
Add, 1 to 1 1/2 C Spaghetti Sauce
3 C Instant Brown Rice (or more, to thicken)

[madteaparty]

The split red lentils (from Trader Joe's and others) cook quickly and with just onions, broth and a bay leaf make a nice side dish.

I make a white bean stew most winter weeks, there's recipes all over but I sort of do my own. One tip that vastly improves this dish is to put a Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese rind to stew with the rest, and then dispose of it.  

Edited August 13, 2019 by madteaparty